Jamie Janosz

Every year, we have taken a short drive away from our suburban home to the family-owned Luer's Christmas Tree Farm in Schererville, Indiana.  My husband grumbles a bit. Why don't we just buy a tree from the Walmart parking lot where they are so nicely displayed, wrapped, and offered at a reasonable price? It would probably be easier, true... But, there is something magical about wandering through rows of firs, pines, and balsams. It is peaceful here, and I breathe deeply - the scent of trees is almost heady in the Midwestern winter air. This feels like Christmas to me - no shoppers, no traffic, not even any LED lights. Just simple and pure and honest...just us. I like how you can look over the horizon and see nothing but trees. If the weather is chilly, you can see puffs of your breath and your toes start to get numb, even with layers of socks and boots.  My daughter and I wander from tree to tree. "This one is perfect," I'll announ...

In the 1960s, hot rods with names like “No Big Thing,” “Gearbox,” “Breakout,” and “Old Injun” would show their stuff at local race tracks. One of the best loved in the Midwest was the US30 Drag Strip. On a cloudy Sunday in September, race fans gathered to honor the iconic drag strip. The track, which is no longer in existence, was located in Hobart, Indiana, and drew racers from across the Midwest. The AHRA counted US30 as one of its flagship courses. Chicago’s WLS radio would enthusiastically advertise the event: “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! At smokin’ US30 Drag Strip . . . where the great ones run!” The track opened in 1957, some say maybe even 1954, in the early days of organized racing. Located near Chicago and in the race-crazed state of Indiana, US 30 became a social gathering for three decades of faithful fans until it closed in 1984. The Sunday show was an anticipated reunion of old friends, as fans swapped stories and showed photos of the glory days of racin...